Newsletter 79 from the Head of Department

Internal Department News

Thanks for the get-together – and don’t forget information security
Thanks for a great, enjoyable, and educational joint staff day back in June. Although events prior to the summer holidays might seem like a distant memory, safeguarding information security, and remembering the sound advice and habits shared by security expert Sarah Aalborg, remains vitally important and always relevant:

• Create secure, complex passwords that are unique to each login - consider using a password manager - and never share your passwords.
• Update your software as soon as prompted; do not delay, as this creates an entry point for cybercriminals.
• Protect your equipment - do not leave it unattended in meeting rooms or hotel rooms, and use a privacy screen filter if working while traveling, for example.
• Protect access to sensitive data - such as screens in open-plan areas - and remember that other people's personal data does not belong to us; we are merely holding it temporarily.
• Be a critical email user and report phishing emails - check the sender's address and do not click links in unsolicited emails. By reporting phishing emails, you help remove them from others' inboxes and enhance security across the entire organisation.

If you need the slides from Sarah Aalborg’s presentation or would like a refresher on the talk, Niels-Martin Hauschildt Tellefsen from the Secretariat can assist you.

Also, a big thank you to everyone who participated in the DHL Relay and the faculty party in late August - and special thanks to Klaus Balle Jørgensen from the Secretariat for handling the DHL registrations and creating a fantastic IOOS setting in Mindeparken. It is a pleasure to experience the great "Team IOOS" spirit. There are photos from both the faculty party and the DHL Relay Race on websites.

I look forward to our next festive occasion, celebrating IOOS’s 10th anniversary with you, our students and closest partners in Grønnegården on Friday, 25 September, from 14:30 to 16:00!

Remember to complete and pass the KLIPS safety test by 10 October
All IOOS staff members with access to the electronic patient record system, KLIPS, must complete an annual online course consisting of a multiple-choice test to maintain access to the record system and their user profile. In 2026, the test must be taken and passed by 10 October.

Log in to the "IOOS Medarbejder" (IOOS Staff) Brightspace page and locate the test in the left-hand menu: https://brightspace.au.dk/d2l/le/lessons/193739/units/2797688

Are your Pure profiles still empty or incomplete? Get help in Week 40
Last year, many of you completed your Pure profiles as part of a major faculty initiative "Pure Profile Completion Week" but a number of profiles still lack text or contain outdated or incorrect information, so we are running another round.

During Week 40 (September 28 – October 2), the entire Faculty of Health Sciences will focus on Pure profiles. Staff photography sessions will take place in Grønnegården on Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM (please mark your calendars if you can attend); there will be opportunities to receive feedback on the text describing your work tasks; and Pure Support can help sort out Scopus IDs, ORCIDs, and other technical issues.

Remember, these profiles are often the first thing funding bodies, collaborators, journalists, and future colleagues encounter when they Google us. For this reason, the University Management Team has made it mandatory for all Aarhus University staff to maintain an updated Pure profile. You will receive more information before the week begins.

IOOS leaders attended a two-day leadership development seminar
In August, all leaders at the department were invited to a two-day seminar. The aim was to collaboratively develop a solid, professional framework for leadership and to create better conditions for a shared direction, coordination, and commitment across the department as a whole - navigating the complexities of our daily operations, which involve research groups, five educations (including clinical training), 330 staff members, 700 students, and 33,000 patient visits annually.

New website for the School of Dentistry
Our website, tandlægeskolen.au.dk, has been updated. It has received a visual refresh to give it a more modern look and has been restructured to improve user-friendliness. The content is now more user-focused, and some items have been relocated. Please note that old links you may have previously shared with colleagues in practice might no longer work. If you find anything missing from the site, please contact the web team in the faculty’s communications department at health.webredaktion@au.dk.

Celebrating our anniversary
Remember to sign up via the Outlook calendar if you wish to join - and I truly hope you do - in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Department of Dentistry and Oral Health. The event takes place on Friday, 25 September, in Grønnegården from 14:30 to 16:00, featuring an anniversary speech by our Dean, Anne-Mette Hvas.

All staff, students, and our closest partners are invited to the anniversary celebration.

Research, Education, and Teaching

The Section for Orthodontics is Denmark’s best specialist training department
Each year, the Danish Health Authority presents training awards to departments, often at hospitals, that have made a special effort to train medical and dental specialists. This year, our postgraduate orthodontic training program is receiving the "Danish Health Authority Training Award 2026 – Best Training Department."

This is a truly outstanding recognition; the citation notes, among other things: "During their visits, the inspectors were impressed by an exemplary training culture built on a sense of community and a strong tradition of sharing experience and knowledge. In particular, the excellent collaboration among the dentists in training, clinical instructors, and supervisors is highlighted - a setting where teaching, supervision, and guidance are prioritised amidst a busy daily routine."

Section Head Peter Stoustrup will be presented with the award on Thursday, September 24, at noon.

Diabetes research collaboration shifts gears: Steno gets a dental chair
Research into diabetes and orofacial health and disease is nothing new to us, but we are now strengthening this research area through a more formalised collaboration with Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus (SDCA). The collaboration is being consolidated by Professor Lise-Lotte Kirkevang from our department and Annelli Sandbæk, Clinical Professor at the Department of Public Health and Head of Unit at SDCA.

The collaboration is becoming very tangible and visible, as the Steno clinic is now acquiring a dental unit to be used in clinical research collaborations between IOOS, SDCA, and other relevant medical specialties. We are celebrating this with an inauguration of the dental chair on Thursday, September 24, from 15:00 to 16:00 at Steno Diabetes Center in Skejby. Dean Anne-Mette Hvas will inaugurate the new dental unit. Registration via Region Midt.

Invitation: Guest lecture on dental registry research – September 24
Professor of Periodontology Jan Derks from the University of Gothenburg is visiting to give us an insight into dental registry research. Our research theme group, Oral Ecology and Inflammation, has organised the guest lecture titled "Insights into dental registry-based research in Sweden," which will take place on Thursday, September 24, from 12:30 to 13:30 in room 1613-047 (Dike). Everyone is welcome – no registration required.

Student admissions for our degree programmes – Summer 2026
The clinics, corridors, and classrooms are once again buzzing with life and expectant students embarking on their first or a subsequent year of study. We can be proud that, once again this year, there has been strong interest in all the department’s educations. Dentistry ranks among the ten most sought-after educations at Aarhus University, and the Clinical Dental Technician programme has seen a massive surge in first-priority applications - in fact, it ranks third on the list of AU programmes with the largest increase in applicant numbers compared to last year. You can view an overview of application and admission figures on the university’s website, as well as top 10 lists regarding applications at Omnibus.

Grant awarded for Fernando Exposto’s research line on jaw muscle pain
The Lundbeck Foundation has awarded just over DKK 3 million to enable investigation on how myofascial jaw pain can be diagnosed and treated more precisely. By combining clinical examinations, advanced MRI scanning, neurophysiological measurements, and biochemical analyses, the aim is to develop objective methods for identifying trigger points and to understand how targeted dry needling affects pain processing in both the muscles and the nervous system.

Associate Professor Fernando Exposto from the Section for Orofacial Pain and Jaw Function heads the research line, in collaboration with Postdoc, physiotherapist Flora Dantony.

News about names

Dental student Signe Klitgaard Bitsch receives Queen Margrethe II’s Travel Grant
At Aarhus University’s annual celebration on 11 September, Signe Klitgaard Bitsch was awarded Queen Margrethe II’s Travel Grant. Signe is a Master’s student in Dentistry and is currently completing a research year at the Department of Forensic Medicine under the supervision of Associate Professor Line Staun Larsen. Signe conducts research into bite mark analysis, and the DKK 25,000 grant gives her the opportunity to bring an international perspective to the project through a study period abroad. Congratulations!

Laurits Kaaber delivers best research presentation at European conference
PhD student Laurits Kaaber presented his research at the 20th European Congress of DentoMaxilloFacial Radiology in Romania in June. Laurits performed so well that he took first place among five other presenters. Laurits conducts research into CBCT and presented some of his findings under the title "Does CBCT dose reduction affect AI-based mandibular segmentation accuracy? An ex vivo study." The Section for Oral Radiology and Endodontics has an impressive track record of winning awards at this conference, and this year was no exception. Huge congratulations on this outstanding achievement!

Research-year student Abas Jafari wins speaker’s slot at European conference
The good news continues. When the European Academy of Orofacial Pain and Related Disorders (EAOPD) conference takes place in Greece this month, research-year student Abas Jafari will be taking the stage. The Academy’s scientific committee selected Abas’ abstract as the best among the entries from European junior researchers; consequently, Abas will give a presentation on his research field: Burning Mouth Syndrome. Huge congratulations and enjoy the experience!

Have a good weekend,

Siri